The Evolution of Racism & America's Protean Epithets

An analysis of the following quotes referenced in the following two articles:

Between Barack and a Hard Place by Tim Wise

"Obama might well have won the nation's highest office in spite of ongoing traditional white racism, and yet because of a newer, slicker Racism 2.0, in which whites hold the larger black community in low regard and adhere, for instance, to any number of racist stereotypes about African-Americans - and yet carve out acceptable space for individuals such as Obama who strike them as different, as exceptions who are not like the rest" (Wise, 365)

The Protean N-Word by Randall Kennedy

[When referring to a decision that President Lyndon Johnson was making in appointing Thurgood Marshall, an African-American, to the supreme court for the first time in history, and responding to the fact that he referred to the candidate as a (n-word)] 

"On this particular occasion, however, it seems likely that he was merely seeking to highlight the racial exclusion against which he was acting, parodying the old regime even as he sought to reform it. If this is an accurate assessment of the situation, I see nothing wrong with what Johnson said, and I applaud what he did" (Kennedy, 472)

      When the average person hears "diversity studies", they're very likely to fall into the colloquial realm involving racism, as this seems to be the most salient topic. Albeit rather important, there are many other areas of diversity studies that are just as paramount, and just as heavily studied. After reading these two articles however, I found it extremely necessary to write about the ubiquitous topic of racism...

       The first article mentioned above discusses the evolution of racism within the United States with regard to the 2008 presidential election of Barack Obama. Popular belief would dictate that with his triumph, racism within the United States had began to diminish, however further analysis into the matter reveals this contention to be demonstrably fallacious. As seen in the quote above, one of the author's main points is that we have not necessarily assuaged all racism simply by electing an African-American to office, but instead have further displayed how we have created categories to which aberrants of a certain minority group can fit into, devoid of any negative connotations associated with their minority group. This conjecture is extremely important as it displays our shift from absolute racism to the allowance of certain exceptions. This can certainly be seen as a step forward, but it is in no manner a triumph over issues of race. Rather, this argument is predicated on the fact that humans are heavily influenced by preconceived notions about people, and thus after learning about them, pre-categorize them as either fitting into the negative stereotype, or deeming them as an outlier. By stating that an individual seems to be behaving and/or acting in ways that are "better" than their minority group dictates is both a praise and a denigration. The elimination of any preconceived notions or categorizations is truly the only way to conquer such a powerful issue, but until then, we are left with the aforementioned paradox.

      The second article delves into the vacillating concept of the "N-word" and its evolution over hundreds of years. The author describes the origin of the word, the many contexts in which it has been used, and the various interpretations that it has taken on. With its derivation literally stemming from the color black in Latin (niger), it is quite clear that it was merely categorical at first. This fact is important, because originally there were no negative connotations associated with the word, thus entailing that it would be the volatile nature of humans that would ultimately alter its meaning forever. Used in many admonishments, altered through various interpretations, and mocked in a myriad of parodies, the "n-word" has evolved into what we acknowledge today as the most disparaging racial epithet in the American lexicon. Today, such an opprobrious word would never be heard in an educational, professional, or even friendly setting, for society has come to understand that it can only be derogatory and racist. However, as the author has exclaimed in the quote above, the protean nature of the word can allow it to be understood as a compliment, in addition to an acknowledgement of one's race. Taking an in-depth look into the etymology of this word truly displays the influence that society can have on a concept as subjective as a word.

      When first reading these two articles, I wasn't necessarily sure how to tie them together, however, after further analysis it is quite clear how the two are closely related. They both touch upon the fact that although we have enhanced our awareness of the topic of racism, we have a long way to go before we can say it has been severely diminished. The first article displays a macrocosmic example of how we can have preconceived and/or preconditioned racist thoughts about a person even when we ironically choose to revere them and elect them as our leader. The second article describes a microcosmic example of how a remark can be seen as belittling, denigrating, and racist, yet conversely in other contexts, unifying, identifying, and complimentary. Racism is certainly an ambiguous topic to discern, but hopefully with further awareness, and education, such a travesty can be overcome.   

      To be honest, I was very excited to read both of these articles simply based on their titles, as I believed they would be extremely interesting. Although I made a judgement based purely on face value, with heavy influence from my own preconceived notions, it was a judgement that would leave me captivated and intrigued. Being a white male who grew up in a diverse suburb, I had believed that I understood what racism was and how to assuage it. As an adolescent, it was very common to combat being called a racist by simply stating the different friends that you had from various minorities. However, looking back at all of the times that my friends' justification for not being racist was that they, "had black friends", further clarifies the fact that we were all falling victim to the same irony explained in these two articles. I have enhanced my awareness and understanding of issues of race and diversity since then, and I will certainly continue to learn more about these pervasive topics.